


Ashes to Glass

by nagisa-sensei (komaedakibou)



Category: Karneval (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Everyone is aged up a bit, Inspired by The Walking Dead, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-03-28 10:56:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13902567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komaedakibou/pseuds/nagisa-sensei
Summary: It had only been six years since the world was plagued by the zombie virus, but already it was in such a state of decay that it's unrecognisable to all. But Gareki remembered, even if he didn't want to, how beautiful it had been before it was destroyed--not that it really mattered, since he was absolutely powerless and practically useless in such a world.(Even though this is inspired by The Walking Dead, it actually has no relation to it other than the fact that there are undead that are referred to as 'zombies'. No knowledge is needed to enjoy the story as it is my own rendition of zombies crafted to fit in an Alternate Universe of Karneval. Warning: People are going to die. Definitely.)





	Ashes to Glass

**Author's Note:**

> TIME FOR ANGST HAHAHA;; I've been wanting to do an apocalypse-themed fic for a while now, so I thought why not go back to my Karneval roots for this one! There will be a lot of pain, gore, and death of course - NOBODY is safe when they are put in my hands - so... sorry in advance. Since I've aged up basically all of the characters for this, they may seem a bit OOC, but I'm doing my best to stay true to their characters while also giving them character development based on what experiences they've already had pre-story. I hope anyone who reads this enjoys it!

The sun shining overhead was both a blessing and a curse. It lit up the now-ruined cities with crumbling buildings and the living dead roaming throughout it wherever they could, a symphony of groans constantly filling the air as they travelled.

Despite the light being provided to the lowly world beneath it, the streets were cold and devoid of real life, save for the few surviving humans in the city that nobody seemed to remember the name of. It was so cold, in fact, that Gareki was cursing every few steps and wishing desperately that he would find some clothes that didn’t fall from his frame as easily as the ones he was wearing did.

Each time he shifted his arms he was stuck fixing them; he’d tried knotting the material to make the sleeves shorter but they never held for long. It was more than infuriating... the damn thing was barely thick enough to keep him warm in the awful weather, so the fact that it didn’t even fit near drove him mad when his attention was constantly being brought to it.

With the sleeves of his shirt barely being caught on his arms as he crouched to peek around the corner of the wall he’d been tracking a horde of zombies through, it was much more of a feat than it should’ve been for him to raise the makeshift weapon he’d fashioned from a blade, a shit ton of duct tape and the sturdiest broom handle he could find.

It wasn’t an effective weapon at all, really, what with how easily the blade slipped and shifted no matter how much tape he used to hold it in place, but he’d made it far enough since he lost his knives and hatchet he’d been using before he reached the city. 

Fighting with a melee weapon wasn’t exactly his forte, after all. Bombs, stealth, and guns… now _they_ were things he knew his way around, so of course, it wasn’t easy to come by them or the materials to make them. Stealth was definitely a little bit more than helpful but didn’t kill zombies, so he tried to stay high up on the buildings as much as he possibly could.

Electronics would have been on the top of his list if it was even remotely possible to find a helpful electronic these days, but power was a bitch to obtain. It’s not something at the top of people’s priorities when the world was ending, to his everlasting chagrin. As far as he knew, the only places that still had electricity running through them were the small bases conveniently built by Circus right before the world went to shit, as suspicious as that knowledge was.

With the horde that had originally driven him to the building he was hiding behind now far in the distance, he looked around to try and get a hold of his surroundings. Nothing was really familiar to him, but then again the rubble all started to look the same at some point. It was just… the same old stuff he saw just about anywhere else, only with a different layout.

Fixing his sleeves once again, he sighed deeply and slumped slightly again the bricks behind him. As far as he could tell, the immediate area around him was devoid of the walking dead or any signs of life - meaning he could afford to take a few moments to freak out before moving on. Probably.

He didn't think he could simply move on, though. It felt impossible, especially considering what he'd been through and all that was yet to come in the immediate future. Life only went downhill from there. He had no family, no friends, no food or water... supplies were scarce, and he was much too used to having the closest thing he'd ever had to a family by his side.

Fidgeting with his pant pockets, he found solace in the feeling of the hair ornaments he'd quickly taken claim of before leaving his 'siblings' back at the torn little shack they'd managed to hide in since the outbreak had started. It was only a matter of time before that safe place turned into a burial ground, but he didn't expect anything to happen  _so soon._

In the end, nothing prepares you for the immense feeling of loss when a loved one is taken from you by the zombies. No matter how mentally ready you believe yourself to be, simply thinking about it is much different than the actual thing happening. And to see them die so violently, to hear their screams piercing your ears, forever ringing in your head and plaguing your nightmares... 

_There's nothing, not a single thing in the world that compares and prepares you for that kind of loss. Even Gareki, someone who had built such strong walls around his heart, had no idea what kind of impact it would really have on him when it happened._

The weight in his pocket filled him with a sense of ease, but what also came with it was the lingering guilt of leaving on his own. It was a reminder of what he'd lost, and also of what he left behind. The ones still alive were important to him, but he honestly didn't know how much more loss he could handle without completely  _breaking._  The immense dread from just this one death almost had him dropping to the ground completely, wanting nothing more than to rake his fingers through his hair and  _scream_.

 _No,_ he had to remind himself, his trembling hands shifting so his palms were flat on the wall in order to support his weight.  _It's in the past now and there's nothing you can do about it. There's no time to mourn, or you'll just end up fucking up and dying as well._

With that thought in his mind, his feet moved without him really paying any thought to where he was going. There wasn't even the slightest feeling of annoyance as he felt his sleeves slowly coming loose once again and drooping down his arms, nor was the pain that filled his chest just moments before still present.

He just felt empty.

It’s not long – or maybe it was since his sense of time was warped – before the groaning he’d gotten used to hearing grew louder in its intensity. It forced him into a state of alertness, hands tightening around his weapon so much his knuckles went white. He flattened himself against the nearest building in order to look around cautiously, eyes frantically searching for any roamers nearby.

Judging by the sound, it was probably just one or two stragglers from the horde he’d narrowly avoided earlier. The horde itself was still close enough that he could hear them, but far enough that their groaning was hardly anything more than a faint buzzing in the distance. It sent a small wave of relief through him before he pushed himself off the wall, confident that he could deal with only a handful of them if necessary.

But he still had no idea where he was going, or what he should do. Moving into a more secluded area away from the city would be safer, but presented the risk of humans. Staying around cities and buildings practically guaranteed the presence of zombies _and_ humans, but also allowed him to stay high where he felt safest.

It was a tough call to make. He could barely figure out what he was worried about most: humans or the living dead. Nowadays, everyone killed each other with ease, as if the people who were supposed to be deceased going after everyone wasn’t enough stress to begin with. Now, he could _understand_ it – he’d stolen from the rich back when he was poor and needed to live somehow – but the survival of the fittest mentality that had befallen the rest of the populace didn’t make a whole lot of sense to him.

Gareki was not a philanthropist by any means, and he definitely didn’t think that absolutely everyone deserved a chance to survive in this world, but it was too much. The mindless murder of innocent people, the amount of blood that survivors had on their hands… People didn’t even really _try_ to have any faith in each other anymore whatsoever, and it was completely fucked up.

It’s why he’d kept Yotaka and Tsubame away from everyone, no matter how genuinely nice they seemed when he met them. If only he could’ve kept outsiders away from Tsubaki, too, she’d probably still be…

It took a few moments to register, but when it did, he pressed his hands to his face and tried to aggressively wipe away the evidence. The more he tried, the worse it became.

For the first time in the eighteen years he’d been alive, Gareki was crying.

**~**

"Hey, wake up."

A faraway voice pulled him into awareness, although it sounded to him like he was underwater. It took a lot of effort for him to make out the words, probably much longer than it should have taken, but he did his best. It felt as though his ears were ringing, for some reason.

"Please, please, wake up..."

Focusing on trying to gather the energy to open his far too heavy eyes, he grew steadily frustrated when he found that he just couldn't do it. No matter how hard he tried or how much he wanted to, his body just refused to respond to his commands.

Just as he was about to give up - his body infuriating him so much that he was so, so  _tired_ \- the world around him shifted and changed completely. Where sounds before had been dull and distant, they suddenly became strong and vibrant.

It was the clearest that sound had ever been to him in his life.

"Are you okay?" The slightly panicked voice continued, and once it reached his ears properly, he thought that it sounded familiar. Like the person who for some reason spoke to him and sounded clear, but _this_ voice had a strange tone that made him positive that it was someone else completely. "We need to leave,  _now._ "

Finally, his eyes managed to open.

Staring around in awe, he blinked away the blurriness and liquid building up in his eyes. Once it settled, he found that he could actually make out the large room and all its contents after so long of struggling to give names to the shapes he could barely make out.

There were many desks with computers on them, and a large array of filing cabinets that must've been filled to the brim considering that there was also a pile of important looking documents out in the open. Some big contraptions that he couldn't even begin to work out the purpose of were sitting in between the desks and let out various beeps every now and then as well, making him nervous.

In the past, whenever he'd managed to muster up the strength to open his eyes, all he could see were dimly lit monitors just barely lighting up the desks they sat on. 

Behind him, where he had been sleeping, was something he couldn't even begin to describe. It was... a large contraption, tall enough to reach the ceiling but only just wide enough to fit a person standing up. A panel was on the right side of it, but he couldn't make out what was on it.

It wasn't as interesting as he'd hoped. In fact, he found it rather terrifying and so empty that he instinctively clung to the warm body of the man standing beside him. Arms slowly circled around him with uncertainty at first, before protectiveness seemed to take over. Looking up, the blue eyes he saw staring down at him were caring, and definitely both familiar and foreign.

Trying to speak, all he could do was open his mouth as no words managed to make their way out. Instead, he whimpered, his expression falling from hopeful to lost in a single instant. The man's eyes softened in pity, the worry emanating from him encouraging him to try harder to speak, but also reassuring him that it was okay if he couldn't.

Mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, he wound his arm around the other's arm in an attempt to calm himself. The taller became his rock, not a single concern as to who he was or what he was doing in his mind. Anyone who could look at him with such a sincere, caring look couldn't possibly be anything other than a good guy.

A flash of red had him cling tighter, shuffling even closer so that his side was practically glued to the strangers. It was something he'd never seen before; the light shaded the entire room in varying hues of red before it disappeared, but then it happened again, and again, and... then a loud, deafening alarm followed it.

" _Damn it,_ " the other said under his breath, gently patting him on the head to get his attention. It was difficult to hold onto him and resist the urge to cover his ears and close his eyes, but from sheer force of will, he managed to stare questioningly up with wide eyes. "That's an alarm, meaning some bad people are about to come for us. Trust me, okay? We'll be okay. Just do your best to follow me, and if you can't, let me know and I'll carry you."

He nodded his agreement, testing out his legs. Walking was probably going to be difficult since he couldn't even remember the last time he did it, but he'd try his very best!

After one cautious step, his face was _almost_ acquainted with the cold, hard ground.

The stranger was quick to react, hoisting him back to his feet with a firm tug on his arm. Trying again to support himself with the knowledge that there was an arm close by to grab if he needed support, the stinging in his eyes faded as the next attempt seemed much more promising.

It was rough, he couldn't deny that. Somehow he still managed to take a fair amount of steps before he stumbled, so it seemed like he'd get the hang of it soon enough. He knew he was only slowing them down by not just straight up asking for help, but he really wanted to try, wanted to do something for himself.

He wanted to learn.

He  _craved_ it like it was an addiction that desperately needed to be fed. It was both surprising and unsurprising to him, as he'd noticed the little spark of aching whenever the man who talked to him refused to explain himself. 

But even with how stubborn he was being about learning to walk again, he didn't know if he could do it all on his own. He didn't even know how he could've  _forgotten_ , not when it felt as though it should be as natural to him as breathing was.

The stranger seemed to pick up on his internal debate, however. With a small smile, the other loosely held his wrist in case he fell again and led him out of the dark room. What they stepped into next was a corridor, vast and empty.

"We'll need to be quiet," the man whispered, looking down both directions of the corridor. Nobody seemed to be around. "Just keep your head down and try to step lightly, if you can. There shouldn't be anyone too close to this room, but I could've been wrong in my planning."

_Planning?_

The desire to ask a plethora of questions rose up within him, but all he could do was agree with yet another nod. Allowing himself to be directed down an endless amount of corridors, the only helpful thing he had the energy for was focusing on his feet and not tripping over them.

All the corridors seemed to look the same. They were dark and gloomy, made of a strange metal and devoid of any unique markings or decoration. It threw him off; he had no idea how anyone could navigate through so many rooms that looked identical without getting lost! He was lucky to have help.

If this man had planned to get to him, it made sense that he'd at least know where he was going. The main question was, what was it that he wanted? There was nothing malicious in his intentions, at least he didn't think so, so what made helping him out so important?

Nobody had mistreated him.

Sure, nobody really talked to him or let him out of the weird thing he'd been in for who knows how long... but it wasn't all that bad! The one person who  _did_ speak to him made up for all the silence he endured. Plus, he was usually asleep anyway! It's no fun talking to someone who's asleep all the time.

At least, he thought he was asleep. Not once did he recall actually ever feeling  _tired_ , but it was still true that he slept quite a lot regardless.

How long  _had_ it been?

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, it came to his attention that the world did appear to be different. Everything was a little smaller, and his eye level was higher. Could someone see such changes in mere months? He was sure that it had only been a little while, but without a clock or the sky telling him the time of day, it was near impossible to keep track.

Maybe... he just grew a lot? There was a time when people did that, although he wasn't sure what it entailed or even what it was called.

As they came out into a larger room, he shook his head of the thoughts, opting to look around in curiosity instead. The room was almost as barren as the corridors, the only thing giving it some sense of originality being a big line of lockers with name tags written on the top of each door in permanent marker. 

Wherever they were, it seemed like it was probably close to the exit. Or the entrance, depending on what way you thought about it.

"We're almost there."

As he was pulled down into a very low crouch, he tilted his head in confusion. He wasn't sure what made the other believe that they should be sneakier all of a sudden, especially since the area felt as lifeless as all the rest they'd been through. As far as he could tell, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary and there weren't any signs of others lurking about or present  _at all_. In fact, to him, it felt like the entire building could be completely empty.

But then again, he could easily be mistaken. After being confined to one room for as long as he had been, it only made perfect sense that the other man had much more knowledge than he did about everything.

"There's a high chance that we'll run into someone here," came the explanation, followed by a gentle sigh of frustration. "They still have the alarm on, but they're cautious so they're going to be hiding somewhere we won't notice them, waiting for the perfect time to strike. They're definitely on high alert, but I don't even know how they found out that I..."

As the other trailed off with a deep frown on his face, he couldn't help but move forward and press his forehead against the man's shoulder. Not knowing what else to do in order to get the sad look off of his face, it was the first thing that came to his mind when wondering what he could do in order to comfort him. It seemed like it had worked if the small chuckle he heard was anything to go by.

They stayed there like that for a few long moments, making sure the tension in the air lifted before he shifted to move away. It was strange, but... it made him feel a sort of longing that he couldn't even begin to comprehend.

_Why?_

_What was it about this man that made him feel so strange?_

"All right, let's move."

Before the other's hand could be locked around his wrist once again, he quickly intertwined their fingers instead. It filled him up with a warm, fuzzy feeling of pure happiness. With the way the man looked at him fondly, the feeling seemed to be mutual.

Slowly creeping out of the room, they entered an equally large room that actually _did_ have a few people in it. Each of them had thick layers of clothes on, as well as a big gun in their hand and smaller guns in their belts. They all looked angry, but he could sense the fear they each hid underneath their practiced expressions.

Nonetheless, the sight of them made his heart skip a beat and his hand tightly squeeze the one in his. After what he was told, he didn't expect to see so many out in the open where they could easily be noticed, if at all.

_Scary..._

"It's okay," he was reassured, his hand receiving a gentle squeeze. "Just follow my lead and we'll be fine. Remember to be quiet."

It was difficult, but he forced himself to swallow down his hesitance and nod once again. He was shaking and completely terrified of the people they had to get past, but he believed in his companion fully and whole-heartedly.

If he said they could do it, then they could. 

They  _will_.

He just had to take one step at a time. Slowly, steadily and surely, one foot after the other...

Focusing on moving his left foot, he steadied his breathing. Then, moving on to his right foot, he felt his eyes stinging. When he went back to the left, he was holding his breath completely, but it didn't even occur to him that he was doing it. As long as he kept his mind occupied on what he needed to do and the gestures the other man was making, he fully believed they'd be okay. 

Guns were scary, but he found the people who wielded them without hesitation far scarier than any weapon. There was never a reason to hurt another person, he thought, so nobody needed so many of them. What reasons did they think they have, anyway?

_Left foot, right foot, left-_

The footsteps of the gun-wielding people were loud and close enough to make him break into a sweat. It seemed like his senses were coming back to him as well, and for some reason, it only made the whole situation worse for him.

Plus, he felt hungry.

So hungry, in fact, that it was a miracle his stomach didn't rumble loud enough to alert everyone, even over the loud alarm that was still blaring. 

Luckily for them, the room they stepped into wasn't as desolate as the last. There were tables scattered throughout it, as well as large filing cabinets and bulky machines filled with food and cold drinks. It provided more than enough room for the two of them to get from point A to B, and they didn't need to walk as quietly as they would have if the alarm was off as well.

It was rather simple to slip by them unnoticed, although he thought that perhaps it was _too easy_. Planned or not, there were just so many people with their watchful eyes scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary.

As they made it to the next room, he wasn't sure if the big metal door was pleasing or simply anxiety-inducing. It clearly led to the outside; even without the big fluorescent sign indicating it was an exit, the design was sturdier and more imposing than the rest. It was much taller than the doors between rooms and looked like it would need someone with a decent amount of strength to merely push it open.

The closer they got to it, the more his heart started to race painfully in his chest.

What was even out there? It had been so, so long since he felt the kiss of the sunlight. Since he felt soft blades of grass between his toes, smelt the pretty pink flowers he used to see a lot and feel the fresh air against his face. And for a moment, he wasn't even sure if he was ready to go out there, to face the world again.

Maybe nothing at all was different, though. Perhaps he was overthinking everything, and he'd just been tricked by the fact that wherever he was was just strange.

It was scary.

As his companion raised his free hand to carefully but firmly open the door, it creaked softly before growing louder in intensity. It made him gasp and turn around, looking to see if anyone from the previous room might come running toward them.

It didn't seem like it attracted any unwanted attention. Somehow, they were still unnoticed and nobody was rushing into the room urgently with their guns out.

Either they were very lucky, or...

The alarms and flashing abruptly stopped, covering the entire building in a blanket of complete silence. No longer painted red, the room was so white that it hurt his eyes. It did, however, mean that trying to open the door fast enough without making much noise was suddenly a near impossible task. The noises the door made echoed throughout the room so loudly that there was no way that it wasn't being heard in the rooms connected to it.

" _No!_ " The other whisper-shouted, pulling him to his feet and throwing any subtlety out the window. Pushing the door all the way open, he tugged him out with gusto as shouting filled the room as well as boots urgently making their way over to them. "Hurry, my boat is over here!"

_Boat...?_

The sunlight overhead was too bright for him to handle, so he closed his eyes and allowed the other to direct him. Even if he had no idea why he was leaving, even if he had no idea why he was important to the other man... he'd follow him.

No matter what, he'd trust his judgment.

Even if it was painful. Even if his legs burned and spread an intolerable fire throughout his body, his heart felt like it would explode at any moment and that he could lose consciousness at any given moment.

Adrenaline surged through him and kept him going, as well as his determination. If it weren't for the combination of the two, there was no doubt he would've fallen to the floor so he could struggle to inhale large, greedy gulps of air.

He kept going, holding tightly to the hand in his and telling himself that he couldn't fail. Just to make sure he didn't lose hope, he repeated in his head like a mantra that he  _had_ to keep going.

To him, their lives absolutely depended on it.

"We're almost... wait,  _what?_ "

The horror in the other's voice made him instantly raise a hand to shield the sun. Slowly, he forced his eyes to open.

Taking in his surroundings, it quickly became clear to him why they would need a boat to get anywhere. It was an isolated island that they appeared to be on, surrounded by nothing but the ocean for as far as the eye could see. The building they came out of was the only thing on it, now large and foreboding from his point of view.

There was no boat.

As the shouting got closer, the other pushed him away and created distance between them, an apologetic look on his face. And as much as he wanted to get close to him again, he was too shocked to move. 

_Why was he on an island in the middle of nowhere?_

There was surely no logical explanation for him to have ended up there. Even without his memories, he knew there was nothing he could've done to warrant it.

_Why did this man come to help him?_

They may have had history, but what could they actually be to each other to trigger such events? It was a dangerous thing to do if all the guns were an indicator of how much they approved of outsiders sneaking in. 

_Why, why, why?_

There were no answers to his questions. There was nobody there to answer them aside from the man in front of him, and yet he could not speak.

But he had to _try._..!

"W-Who..." he struggled to speak, his throat scratching painfully as he did. Looking to the other with wide, glistening eyes, he truly believed that he held all of the answers in the world at that moment. If he didn't speak now, he'd regret it for the rest of his days. "Who am I?"

At the question, the other looked down at him and openly wept.

It was as though a floodgate had been broken, and the tears quickly overflowed even as he made no sound. 

As the ocean's waters licked the edge of the island, all he could think was that this place could have easily been a paradise under the right circumstances. If only they could stay there, together, without the scary people threatening them.

"Your name is Nai, and you're a very special boy," he replied, his voice wavering but firm and sure in its content. "And my name is Karoku. I'm so sorry that I failed you."

_Failed me...?_

Nai couldn't recall a single time where Karoku had failed him. Not even now, when their means of escaping the island seemed to be gone and the situation was grim. Karoku was like family to him, he knew, and he trusted him with his life! 

There was no way he could ever fail him.

Even if Nai had trouble remembering anything, what he said struck a chord with him, bringing forth emotions he didn't know he had and memories that he didn't even feel like were his.

"K-Karoku," he repeated the name, tears falling down his own cheeks as well. "What do you mean? Karoku, I'm... I'm scared, so please-"

_Hold on to me and never leave. Help me. Tell me all there is to know about this world, about yourself... anything! Just don't keep this distance between us._

A gunshot made him yelp, taking away his opportunity to end his sentence. Jumping back in alarm, he was easily losing his balance since his legs were hardly strong enough to support him through the trauma.

Karoku was red.

Red was pouring out of him, staining his white shirt and dripping down his arm heavily. Nai made an attempt to reach out to him, desperate to find the safe and warm feeling of the man who he suddenly felt so  _strongly_ towards... but he couldn't reach. All he could do was scream.

The next thing he knew, water was enveloping him. The feeling reminded him of the room he'd been in all along, inside that weird contraption he slept in before Karoku came to help him. Slowly, his eyes started to close of their own accord, and a bitter-sweet smile found its way onto his face.

It felt like home.

**~**

Gareki was absolutely  _fuming._

In the midst of his little breakdown, he'd managed to attract the few zombies in the area directly to him. If only his stupid emotions hadn't broken through for that moment, he would've been able to make some progress in looking for somewhere to camp out.

It was much closer to night-time than he'd anticipated. The sun was already setting, the brightness that'd bothered him not too long before starting to steadily fade out of existence. If he didn't find somewhere safe to camp out before it got too dark, his chances of survival would drop to extreme lows. Even without the loss of sight impairing him, the night was far more dangerous than it had any right to be.

They could  _smell_ him, he'd learned rather quickly. Not all of them seemed to have the heightened sense, but most did, so he figured it was safe to assume that the ability came alongside the virus. So he, panting and sweating from the trek all the way to the small town, was definitely in danger if he got into their smell range while also tired and in the pitch blackness of the night.

He wouldn't even know if any of them were nearby unless he stayed up all night and kept a close ear out for noises... which was impossible, considering the fact that his legs already felt like they would give out at any moment. 

So that brought him to a complicated decision: should he fight, flee or distract the ones he could see nearby? The weapon he had was not at all reliable and coupled with his limited strength became even  _more_ useless. But taking them out now reduced the risk of running into them later, after the sun had fully set. 

Surveying the options, he opted to at least make an attempt to stab them. All he had to do was aim well and use a fair amount of force; it was easier said than done, that was for sure, but at least his makeshift spear didn't require him to stand close to them in order to take them out. 

Raising his weapon, he backed away from the zombies closing in on him. As far as he could tell, it was just the three of them for now. At least it would be manageable, even if he'd rather not be forced into any type of conflict at all. Not without weapons that he felt comfortable with, anyway. The small amount of distance he was able to make gave him a moment to judge which one he should attack first, as well as look out for anything else he could possibly use. 

The only things he could see in the vicinity were a long, sharp looking metal pole to the far left and a can a few feet to his right. If the can had something in it, there was a chance he could use it as long as it was flammable. It would be dangerous but effective, and he'd be lying if he said it wasn't a tempting and exciting thing to think about. Since people didn't exactly think of cans as an effective means of attack, he had high hopes for it not being empty.

But that, of course, didn't mean it would have something in it.

Just as the urge to check it out almost won, he managed to convince himself to leave it unless he got close enough to grab it while fending them off. On the off chance that it was empty, it just wasn't worth the risk to go out of his way.

With the groans of the undead growing louder as they got closer, he readied his weapon properly and took a deep breath. At the very least, he'd try using his dumb spear before making any stupid decisions. It was lucky enough that he got slow ones as his opponents - any faster and he would be  _screwed._

 _Aim for the soft spots in the head,_ he reminded himself with a slightly shaky sigh and a foot placed firmly on the ground so he could hold his position.  _Eyes are the easiest to hit, and so are the temples if you're at the right angle. The roof of the mouth or the soft underside of the chin are possible as well in the right circumstances, but much more difficult to pull off..._

It was far too easy to fuck up, especially when the skull was so tough. Blunt force trauma wasn't exactly helpful, even if it might temporarily paralyse the things in order to gain some sort of upper hand. Wasn't useful when they were in groups, but might be when there was only a handful to take out - and only when  _absolutely necessary_.

With the three of them a fair distance apart, there was no particular reason to rush. He had plenty of time to aim for one of the eyes of the closest, adjusting the weight distribution of his body mass and weapon for maximum efficiency. As soon as he was satisfied, he thrust it forward with as much weight as he could without making himself stumble, ensuring the trajectory would hit its brain. It went in far smoother than he expected it to, not feeling much noticeable resistance until it got close to the bone.

It made him feel sick.

The sounds it made almost made him expel what little contents he had in his stomach. Hell, he didn't even know the last time he ate, so if anything, it'd just be his stomach lining. Unsightly images of exposed insides and whatever that damn eye must've looked like were so kindly provided to him by his brain, making up for the real thing that he turned away from. 

He didn't want to see, but his mind continued to betray him. The more he tried to think of something else, the more persistent and clear the image became.

As soon as he could, he pulled the spear back toward himself carefully as the body crumpled to the ground, indicating that he'd aimed better than he thought. It seemed to have stopped making noises as well, and that was good enough for him. It wasn't like he really needed to  _kill_ them anyway; as long as they were down and not bothering him so he could think, he'd _probably_ be okay for the night.

All he wanted was some peace, even if it wouldn't last long. Everything that had happened was taking its toll on him both mentally and physically, and he did _not_ want to be caught off guard because of it. It could very easily cost him his life.

With the next zombie close by, he repeated what he did with the former. It didn't go down as fast as the first - he had to pull it out and re-aim his thrust quickly - but he didn't have any trouble with it in the end. He wasn't worried since there were only the two left and the last got distracted by something a bit away from him.

Wiping his brow, he pierced the spear in the dirt for a moment in order to catch his breath. Coming down from his high was difficult to deal with, especially when he really realised just how exhausted he was. It wasn't as though he was unfit - he needed to be in order to be an effective thief - but he wasn't incredibly  _strong_ either... just dexterous enough to get the job done.

Eyeing the final zombie with a firm grip on the handle of his spear, he watched it as it stumbled around. He had absolutely no idea what it was looking at, but he wasn't about to complain since it made it easier for him to catch his breath.

Since it was in the same direction, he made a beeline for the spray can he'd seen earlier and examined the label. Most of it had faded so it was difficult to make out, but from what he could tell it was some sort of insect killer... and luckily for him, it felt like it was more than half full. He shoved it into his pant pocket since he didn't have a backpack, frowning when it only partially fit. He'd have to find something to carry things in soon.

With that out of the way, he stalked toward the last zombie with the intention of killing it quickly. Although as he grew closer, whatever had caught its attention also started to intrigue  _him_.

A bush was making a lot of noise, rustling and moving unnaturally as though something was in it. Spear at the ready, he moved a bit closer and hoped it wasn't a zombie that had just lost its legs or something. Those were slow but annoying, and extremely dangerous if it was with a group. 

Just as he was about to step in front of it, it sounded like a voice was whispering from inside it.

"...reki..."

It was soft, and he couldn't make it out... but it meant that there was a  _person_ in there. If there were people around here, it meant that he was going to probably go through some bullshit down the track, especially if it was a large group. He didn't want to deal with it.

About to turn on his heel, he made the decision to just book it. It'd be better if he went to find somewhere to stay now rather than later, and he'd been distracted far too many times already.

_No more._

"Gareki?"

At the sound of his name, though, he startled so back that he fell back onto the ground with a dull thud. The force at which he propelled himself backward almost made him knock himself in the face with the handle of his spear, but it just barely missed him by an inch.

The small yelp he'd let out had the final zombie focused on him, but he was too shocked to fight. So he crawled away from it as quickly as he possibly could, making sure to carefully drag his weapon with him.

The voice was one that was painfully familiar, and most certainly not one he wanted to hear.

"...Yotaka?"  He whispered, disbelief evident in his voice. It was unclear to him whether it was real or a figment of his imagination, but either way, he was trembling like a leaf. "Is... is it really you?"

In his mind, it was impossible for the other man to really be in front of him. There was no way he'd ever abandon Tsubame, especially not right after Tsubaki died; he wasn't as heartless as Gareki was. They were  _real_ siblings - blood relatives - who grew up together and stuck with each other through thick and thin no matter what.

Not like Gareki, who couldn't hold a relationship with anyone, let alone his own family. Yotaka was cautious, but he never feared for his life like Gareki did until the beginning of the apocalypse. They were raised well, taken care of by their big sister who loved them with all of her heart, bless her sweet soul.

_So why?_

As if it were an answer to his question, the zombie turned on Yotaka since he was far closer. So... he was there, even if Gareki had no idea why. How did he even make it that far all on his own? He didn't even have a weapon or any supplies, so he was basically useless. Still, it was far too difficult for him to decide whether he should move from his spot on the ground or not.

"Gareki, please help!"

 _Ah..._ his brain felt empty as he watched it snarl and bite the air as it approached Yotaka. Time slowed as if it weren't bad enough to be looking at the sight, but he felt as though he was glued to the spot.  _How stupid..._

He clenched his fists and watched, his lips pressed so hard together that his mouth formed a thin line. All he felt like he could ever do was be a spectator as the world turned to ash around him.

_So weak..._

This was exactly why he'd left. 

Springing to his feet, he shook off the endless feeling of hopelessness that suffocated him. His hands were so tight on the handle of his weapon that he was worried he'd snap it right in half, but he knew he wasn't nearly strong enough to pull off such a feat.

However, people  _did_ do incredible things when they were driven by strong emotions...

It was a shame he felt nothing. Perhaps this would've been a time where adrenaline really kicked in, helping him see that he actually was worth something. That he could really save someone and make a difference from the sheer force of his will.

Even the image of Yotaka so close to a zombie didn't bring a rush of emotion to him. It should have, he knew that, but it felt as though any human in him had died alongside Tsubaki. 

Without any thought or plan, he ran toward them and shouted, the tip of his spear aimed right for the zombies face. Once it turned toward him, he'd hope to whatever god would listen that he'd kill it easily and not fuck everything up even more.

Closing his eyes, he pushed forward. A small part of him thought that if he died right then and there for Yotaka, then... maybe it'd be okay. Maybe it would be enough atonement for the one he couldn't save. Maybe it'd be proof that he wasn't as much of a heartless asshole as he thought. 

The sound of his spear penetrating flesh met his ears, but no disgusting decayed fingers were pawing at him. There was nothing but a gurgle and then silence. Was he lucky enough to kill it in one sightless attack? There was no way. Gareki wasn't exactly known as someone drowning in luck or good fortune, but nothing broke the silence other than the sound of Yotaka panting heavily.

A warm, firm hand held on to his arm, shaking him slightly to get his attention. 

When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by Yotaka's grateful but terrified face. It might've been enough to make him smile, to make him forget about how much the world sucked... up until the face contorted to one in pain, and he could see the betrayal in the other's eyes.

As much as Gareki didn't want to lose Yotaka, he thought the look he was given hurt more than the thought of losing him did. He loathed to admit it, but he really did love Yotaka like a brother. Even if they weren't born to the same parents, they were still raised together for a long time and grew a familial bond.

It hurt.

Why couldn't he just enjoy the nice moment for a little longer? Why did Yotaka have to give him such a contempt-filled look that made him, for a split second,  _regret_ saving him? 

They were selfish thoughts, he knew that. It only solidified any hatred he had for himself for being so distant, really, but he couldn't help but think them. Moments like that - especially during a literal apocalypse - were so rare that he didn't think he'd ever get the chance to experience one again. It would be an understatement to say that happiness and the end of the world didn't exactly go hand in hand.

"I'm..."  _...sorry_ , he wanted to say, but the word caught in his throat. Mostly because he wasn't even sure if the apology would be genuine. Was he sorry that he left? No. Was he sorry that things were shit? Definitely. But it wasn't like he started the damn end of the world himself, so he had no reason to apologise for that in the first place. "I'm glad you're okay, but I have no idea what the fuck you're doing here. Are you stupid? Go home."

His words were harsher than he meant them to be, and the glare the other gave him almost made him flinch.  _Almost_.

"Yeah, well,  _thanks_ ," Yotaka started to reply, his voice dripping with sarcasm. It only made Gareki wonder why the hell they were talking to each other at all if neither of them seemed to actually want to see the other. "I mean... really, thank you for actually helping me. Honestly, I didn't think you would. But boy, am I fucking mad at you right now."

Gareki would be mad at himself as well if he were Yotaka, all things considered. So instead of arguing or saying anything at all, all he did was glare back just as intensely and waited to see if there was anything else the other boy wanted to say.

He did feel like complete shit at hearing that the other didn't even think he was decent enough to help him when he asked for it. After everything he'd done, after all the other things he'd helped them with... 

Gareki felt disgusting. 

There were so many things that he did to support them. Why did it feel like he'd done absolutely nothing at all? Despite his knowledge, it really felt like all he ended up doing was being a burden on all of them.

"Tsubame..." Yotaka said after a few moments, his voice barely above a whisper. From the sound of his voice, Gareki thought he was about to burst into tears. "Tsubame is dead... she went running after you when you left, and she got bit."

It literally felt like his heart sunk into his stomach. Or better yet, it had shattered into a thousand pieces as though it were glass and each shard was now tearing at his insides and ripping him to shreds. 

_Tsubame... is dead._

"No..." he said softly, before repeating the word much louder. "No! That's... you're lying, right? Why would..."

Tsubame most definitely would have followed him, he knew that. But he trusted Yotaka to keep her safe and stop her from doing anything stupid. Tsubame loved him, that was for sure, but he was positive that her connection with her twin was strong enough to help her see that her brother was more important. That they had to stick together, just as they always had.

Apparently not.

"Why the fuck would I lie about that?" Yotaka was understandably angry, and he wouldn't blame him if he decided to hate Gareki forever. This was undeniably his fault. It was his fault... "I tried to stop her, but I wasn't fast enough. She wouldn't stop yelling at me for not wanting to run after you as well, and now she's..."

_Now she's dead, and it's all your fault._

_All your fault._

"I didn't want that," Gareki said, hysterically, trembling harder than he'd ever had before. Of course, of course, _he_ was the cause of more horrible things. There was no other way for it to go, was there? Why didn't he plan better? He could have left during the night, or sometime when they wouldn't notice! "I didn't want that. I'm so..."

_Stupid?_

_Pathetic?_

_Worthless?_

_The list of things was endless and somehow seemed to grow larger by the minute._

"Nobody wants anyone to die," he said, "But that doesn't stop it from happening. Are you going to leave me to die as well, Gareki? Do you plan on walking away from me again now that you know I'm temporarily safe? What the hell is going through your head now, huh?"

 _Nothing_.

It felt like his mind was empty. As well as being devoid of real emotion, now he was also devoid of thought. The more that Yotaka spoke, the more he felt as though he had no right to utter a single word for the rest of his probably short life.

"...I won't abandon you," he eventually promised, but he couldn't bear to make eye contact as he spoke. "Stay with me. Please."

His voice broke as he allowed himself to beg, even if it was unlike him to do so. Even though he really did mean it, it really felt like his words were hollow and meant nothing at all.

Yotaka sighed before placing his hand on Gareki's shoulder, looking down at him with a frown.

"All right, I'll trust you," he said somewhat sheepishly, followed up by another heavy sigh. "A lot has happened. I don't hate you, you know, I just... I can't believe it. I really can't believe how fucked up everything is, and how easy it is for everything to just... be blown away by the wind, like sand." 

Gareki just nodded. It was the polite thing to do, rather than start having a tantrum because he didn't know where he stood. There was no way that the other didn't hate him with every fiber of his being after all the misfortune he'd been the trigger of.

"...We need to get moving, then." Was all he said, pretending to busy himself with his spear by playing with it a little. It seemed like it might fall apart at any moment, but then again it did exceed his expectations. He never thought it'd actually hold together long enough kill a zombie, let alone three. The can in his pocket would be handy as a last resort item too, but he needed to find a lighter or something to use with it. In the end, he still needed to look for a real weapon or means of defense, something he knew his way around. "It's already dark. Not safe here, since there's a horde that just wandered through. There's no telling if they'll come back this way or were just part of a much larger group of 'em."

With how long all that had taken, it was dangerously close to dark with no progress on somewhere safe to hide. Yotaka wasn't exactly good at climbing trees or being stealthy, so he had quite the task ahead of him if he wanted to find routes for them both to travel safely down. It'd probably be best if they searched quickly for a building that was less torn up than the rest and actually had some semblance of a structure still intact.

"What do you suggest?"

"...We should take a look around the immediate area, see if there's anywhere close we can sleep for the night. It's too dark already, so travelling too far away from here is dangerous."

Gareki was talking out of his ass, really, but the look that Yotaka gave him - one filled with trust, looking for guidance - encouraged him to keep up the act. After the argument they had and what he'd learned, he thought for sure that the only thing he'd ever see looking up at him were eyes filled with absolute hatred.

Not waiting for a response, he stepped away and started looking around. His head was starting to spin aggressively from everything that had happened, so he desperately wanted to sleep. He just hoped they didn't have to give up an arm and a leg just for a small rest while the sun wasn't present.

He didn't turn to check if the other was following him. For just a few moments, he wanted to pretend it was just him that he was looking out for. The moment he really  _realised_ that he was looking after both himself and Yotaka, he knew he'd start to panic and overthink. But with just himself in mind, it was easy to think things through both quickly and effectively.

Most of the buildings around there were beyond recognition. It was hard to decipher what was an actual building at one point, but the further they got from the center of the town, the more stable and building-like they became. Whatever happened there had the middle as its focal point, leaving the perimeter a viable place to hide out after all. Preferably he wanted something with two levels so they'd have some kind of advantage from the height; if anything, he might be able to make a way up to the roof that the zombies wouldn't be able to follow them with. 

Of course, there was an extremely low chance of finding something that met all of his criteria, but he'd at least like to meet as much of it as possible. Finding a place that they could get on the roof of easily without being followed was the real stretch; zombies could climb, if they wanted to, and so they occasionally did exactly that. He had no idea what made them act like that, though. From all the movies he'd heard about as a kid revolving around the apocalypse, he hadn't heard of zombies being capable of much thought, if any at all. But then again, they weren't just actors on a set following a script. It was really happening, and the reality was far crueler than fiction could ever hope to be.

"The buildings here are still pretty intact," Yotaka commented, softly, his voice much closer than Gareki expected it to be. It made him flinch, although thankfully it didn't seem like the other noticed. "Do you think they tried to bomb the place? It's not really big, so you'd think they would've wiped out the whole place if it was one."

Gareki did  _not_ want to think about bombs, so he hummed noncommittally and directed his thoughts elsewhere.

 _Too soon_.

"Who cares? Means we can sleep tonight."

Gareki could feel Yotaka's eyes on him. The gaze had so much weight that he thought the other was trying to pierce into his soul, or at least trying to open up his head so all of his innermost thoughts would no longer be a secret. It scared him. It made him want to project himself onto another plane of existence, far from anyone's prying eyes.

Instead, he kept walking.

"...That's never a bad thing, yeah," the other eventually said, not making any comments like Gareki thought he might. He was thankful despite not knowing the reason behind it. "Although one of us will need to keep an eye out. We can take turns if you want?"

To be completely honest with himself, he didn't think he'd be able to sleep with Yotaka on watch. It was something that could only be entrusted to someone who had experience, and to be frank, Gareki wasn't sure if the other was even being genuine with him. It felt as though he could disappear at any moment - he knew  _he_ might've done that, given the circumstances - even if it was obviously better for him if they were together. Needless to say, he was extremely suspicious of what Yotaka was being motivated by aside from his want to survive.

So he just focused on looking around, more and more urgently as the light faded into nothingness. Darkness was dawning upon them quickly, and even though there were no intimidating snarls penetrating the silence, he thought that there had to be some more zombies in the town  _somewhere_. There was no way it only had a horde just passing through it... there had to be many hidden away, in houses and wandering about either in small groups or alone.

"That place looks pretty stable," Yotaka commented and pointed toward a building that Gareki was already eyeing, his voice strained. It was obvious he was trying to talk to him, trying to get through and get something out of him other than statements, but he wouldn't allow it to happen. Not yet. "I can... I can do first watch since you probably haven't slept in a while. You've got dark circles under your eyes and everything."

Gareki frowned, but his pace picked up at the approval. If they were both in agreement that the place looked good enough, there was no reason not to test out that theory. He just hoped that it was empty and as stable as it appeared to be; though he wouldn't be that surprised if most of the buildings in the area would collapse under his feet the moment they stood in them. 

"I'm fine," he said stubbornly, leaving no room for argument in the tone of his voice. It was true that he hadn't slept properly for a while and that he definitely needed it, but he wouldn't admit to it. "Let's just hurry over."

Ignoring the sigh of disappointment behind him, he slowed down a bit once they reached the door. It was off its hinges and hanging at a strange angle, but it didn't look like any of the living had tampered with it yet, which could be both promising and concerning. There could still easily be zombies inside, or even more survivors, or-

Seemingly sensing his hesitation and being impartial to it, Yotaka opened the door without a care in the world.

"Oi," Gareki whisper-shouted in a moment of panic, his hand automatically moving up to take a hold of Yotaka's shirt. "Are you stupid? Don't just open it like that!"

"Why not? We're going in, right?" Yotaka seemed genuinely confused by the reaction, like the memory of the zombie that almost got to him earlier was already forgotten. "We need to scope it out, so there's no need to be like that."

_Careless idiot._

Clicking his tongue, he huffed and at least made sure he went inside first. Spear at the ready, he squinted to make out the contents of the room in the darkness. A few spots were illuminated by what little amount of light the sun was still providing through the windows, but it wasn't nearly enough to allow him to see everything. The living room was simple enough, with dusty and torn furniture and stained walls that were once beige but now were various shades of green and yellow. There was a door directly in front of them and another to their left, so he approached the left since it was closest and pressed his ear against the door.

It was completely silent, save for his and Yotaka's breathing.

He had half a mind to ask Yotaka to listen in to the other one but figured it would be rather pointless. It was risky to let him go near  _any_ doors he hadn't checked beforehand, so he'd just do it himself. At least it didn't seem like it was going to be too troublesome.

Once he was satisfied with the deafening silence before the first door, he moved to the other and did the same thing. After at least a few minutes of the same silence, he allowed himself to relax just the slightest bit and went to the middle of the room. Yotaka watched him in silence, eyes observing his every move like a hawk's, curiosity shining in his eyes when Gareki remained still.

Then he barrelled into the door without any warning, making an extremely loud bang resonate throughout the house.

"W-What the f-" Yotaka exclaimed, eyes wide as Gareki cursed under his breath. "What are you  _doing?!_ "

Aside from his own swearing, nothing else was making noise despite the loud one he'd just made. The side of his arm was throbbing from the impact - he thought he'd actually go through the door but he'd never admit that aloud now - but the action had shown them that there were no zombies lingering inside. Probably. They'd have come out almost instantly from the noise, so he'd feel a bit more at ease checking the place out properly.

"Noise test," he grunted noncommittedly, stretching his arm and checking it out for any injuries. "Figured I'd see if I can lure any possible biters out of their hiding spots and into the open while the sun is still kind of out."

Yotaka nodded as though it made perfect sense, not questioning any further. In reality, though, Gareki had done it just to blow off some steam; luckily, though, it did also count as a noise test and let him strike two birds with one stone.

"Seems clear, then," Yotaka sighed, deflating a little as though he'd been waiting with bated breath - which he had been - and moving closer to Gareki. "Should we wait a little longer or go further in?"

The longer they stood around doing nothing, the more anxious he grew, so he answered by reaching for the door handle of the door he'd crashed into. As his hand closed around it and he attempted to open it, the answer as to why he couldn't break it open became clear. It was locked. There was a keyhole on the knob that he noticed now that he was more aware, making him frown and drop his hand uselessly to his side.

"...This one's locked," he told the other, disappointment evident in his voice. "Check out the other one, will you?"

"Unlocked," came the response a few seconds later, followed by the creaking of the door. "Looks like it leads to the stairs! Lucky it's not the other one."

Grimacing at the door in front of him, he sighed and turned away. Since they couldn't get in, there wasn't really any reason to dwell on the details... if he had a lockpick or something he could've used to open it he would've, but as it was it wouldn't be possible. Curiosity wasn't exactly something that was beneficial to have any more; usually, it would just end up in someone getting hurt, or even worse,  _killed_. 

All he cared about were the stairs. The second level was where they could rest out the night, which was his top priority. Tomorrow, they could search the house for anything useful and then do some scavenging before hopefully moving on to somewhere better. 

_As if there's anywhere worth being in this shitty world anymore..._

Charging ahead of Yotaka, he led them both up the stairs and quickly began searching the doors on the upper level. Most of the doors were open already, so he just stuck his head in to look for danger and to see if there was any way to reach the roof. 

The rooms he looked into were pretty empty. It didn't look like anyone was living in it even before the outbreak - that, or they'd somehow managed to pack almost all their stuff and relocate it elsewhere just before it. It was pretty strange, but also meant they'd get out of there quickly once the sun was back up in the sky. If he was right, there'd be next to nothing worth taking in the first place.

"There's not much here..." Yotaka commented, obviously thinking similar things to Gareki as they moved to the end of the hall. "I wonder why that room downstairs was locked, though?"

 _Don't say that,_ Gareki thought, cursing internally. He hadn't even thought about the locked door since he'd walked away from it, but it was pushed to the forefront of his mind once again.  _What's in there? Not zombies, since he hadn't heard anything when he ran into it. That would've drawn any biters inside to the door without a doubt._

 _...Then what_ was _in there?_

"Doesn't matter," he forced himself to say, making his way into the room at the far end. It was open, and empty, but also connected to a small balcony that they could take advantage of. "We'll rest here, then head out as soon as we can. This place isn't safe."

"...Okay, sure."

"You're not having the first watch, though. I'll do it."

Yotaka opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out. Instead, he shrugged, biting his lip. It seemed like he really wanted to say something, but whatever look Gareki was giving him as he tried to find a way to open the big sliding door to the balcony kept him hesitating until he eventually gave up.

_Good._

The door opened after he played with the latches for a few moments, though it was a feat to force it open. For some reason, it kept getting caught on something even though he couldn't see anything in the way. 

Outside, the small box had enough room for maybe two or three people to stand there. It was stable, luckily, but there was nothing for him to use to climb up higher. Maybe if he was desperate he could stand on the railing and hope to jump high enough to catch the top edge of the roof, but the chances of actually pulling it off were low. There was no way to climb down, either, and a drop from that height would  _hurt_.

"Damn it," he growled, going back into the room. "There's no way up or down from here, so we'd have to go back down the way we came."

"Should we camp out on the bottom level, then?"

"...I feel safer up here. Less chance of them wandering up the stairs, and even if they do, we'll have more time to react and get our shit together." Depending on what was around in the other rooms, they could also block off the stairs to make it harder for them to get up. "We should have a quick look around and block off the bottom of the stairs, too."

Yotaka nodded and followed his orders, instantly stepping out to take a look around. The moment the other stepped out and left him alone, however, he found himself taking a quick breather on a small couch in the room and looking around. 

There was nothing in it other than the couch he sat on, a yellow sunflower rug in the middle of it, and a small end table with a lamp on it in the corner. None of it was even worth looking at. The only thing really useful was the couch, and he could also probably tear a bit of the material off of it when they left to make a makeshift bag out of so he wasn't stuck with the can from earlier digging into his leg every few seconds.

It was comfortable. It'd been so long since he sat down that he forgot how good it felt, and realised just how much his entire body was aching...

As he looked up at the broken ceiling light, he sunk into the couch. There was no way he was getting back up any time soon, no matter how much he prodded himself to raise back to his feet. Anything he did felt so hopeless, so not worth expending his strength to do, especially when he had so very little of it left.

Yotaka came up to him and said something, but he had no idea what it was. The other's voice sounded like it was far away, muffled so much that he couldn't even begin to decipher the words even if he wanted to.

And then there was nothing but black.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed it, please leave a kudos or a comment! I'd love to know what anyone thinks of this so far and if you'd like to read more!


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